


Long Time Coming

by FrangipaniFlower



Category: Homeland
Genre: F/M, season 4, this is what I wanted to happen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-11
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2019-04-21 11:39:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14284131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrangipaniFlower/pseuds/FrangipaniFlower
Summary: What if Quinn took Carrie back home with him after they kissed?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [The_Nature_of_Daylight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Nature_of_Daylight/gifts), [SNQA](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SNQA/gifts).



> For The Nature Of Daylight.
> 
> My thoughts are with you this week and I‘ll keep my fingers crossed. Hugs to you!

„I‘ll just fuck it up.“

„No. No, you won’t.“

Carrie had meant to walk away, it’s all too much, her father, the day, her mother, Islamabad and now Quinn and what –

„Carrie. No.“

He looked down to her and she thought she‘d never seen him like this. So unguarded and open. Laying it all out there, for her to decide. It’s not that she didn’t know. Maybe she didn’t _want_ to know but then again, today at the church – seeing Quinn, holding him, being held by him was the best feeling she had in weeks. Months even.

So she still stood there, his hand cupping her face, his eyes resting on her face with so much warmth that it hurt her deep inside.

„Carrie,“ his voice is almost a whisper now, „give yourself a break. We can talk about it, about all of it. But right now -,“ he shrugged and the corners of his eyes crinkled as his thumb brushed over the corner of her mouth.

Carrie felt tears pooling in her eyes, the tears she hadn’t been able to shed all these days. She‘d felt numb, unable to allow her pain to consume her, but now they were coming.

„Hey. Hey. Carrie.“

He gathered her in his arms, her head buried against his chest, one hand buried in her hair, holding her at the nape of her neck.

Having felt raw all day, there wasn’t anything she could do now to stop this, it was like a floodgate finally opened and she couldn’t get it back.

„Sshh. I know. Sshhh,“ Quinn‘s voice was humming against her hair, a large warm hand steadying her and holding her, the arm around her shoulder providing her shelter.

„Want me to bring you back inside?“ he asked still holding her, and being so close to him meant that she felt his voice vibrating in his chest against her cheek.

He smelled good. Being with him felt good.

„Quinn, I- what you said, I can‘t make any promises. Not now, not today. Not this week.“

„I know. I‘m sorry.“

He really was. He hadn’t planned to reveal his feelings for her tonight. But walking with her under the trees and stars, after the gravest of all partings in Islamabad, after the day they’d shared - it had been out in the open before he had really considered the consequences.

And yet, here she was. Her face buried against his shirt, her body molding into his, seeking – what? Solace? Comfort? Friendship?

All good enough for him, he decided.

„About your question. No, not inside. My sister, she‘s – if she sees me like this, she‘ll – it’s hard enough for her already. I-,“ her voice trailed off.

„Wanna come with me? Or just drive around?“

She looked up to him, and he knew her answer before she even said it.

„I‘d like to come with you. If that’s an option. Just, Franny, my sister needs to know-,“ her voice trailed off when she turned her head towards the door.

„I‘ll let her know. Wait.“

Quinn opened the truck door for her and offered her a hand to climb in before he walked back to the house, hoping he‘d find her sister still awake - although he didn’t fancy the conversation ahead of him.

To his surprise, there was still light shining through the large kitchen window, and Maggie sat alone at the massive wooden table, a box with what seemed to be photos in front of her. Her eyes were red rimmed when she opened the door after he‘d gently knocked against the window to make himself seen.

Maggie just nodded with a thoughtful glance and a small smile crossed her lips when he told her that Carrie would spent some time with him but would be back the next morning, and asked if that was okay with Franny.

„Sure. The nanny‘s coming over anyway. Unless Carrie wants–,“ she hesitated and paused.

„She‘ll be back tomorrow.“

 

———————

They drove to his apartment complex in silence, Carrie rubbed her eyes every now and then, and once he reached over and squeezed her hand that she had resting on her knee, his mind racing and eerily calm at the same time.

Carrie felt like she reached the eye of a storm. After days of currents pulling her in all directions, not a single moment of relief or rest, she‘d suddenly reached the quiet center, knowing it was just a temporary break, and that there were all these powers still hurling around her which would grab and shake her again. But right now, she was sheltered and safe.

It was just a short drive. A nondescript apartment complex, quiet so late at night, a small pool with some recliners next to it, Quinn‘s place on the top floor, an open kitchen, a combined living and dining room, probably one bedroom around the corner.

They kissed as soon as he closed the door. There wasn’t a moment of hesitation or questioning, just his mouth on hers, reigniting the moment of desire they‘d shared earlier, it was her body responding to his touch, their hands greedily finding their way under clothes, their tongues meeting again, Carrie‘s fingers fumbling with his belt, then her hands in his hair, her breath mingling with his, his jacket soon gone, her skirt lifted up to her waist, his pants dropped to his ankles when he lifted her effortlessly against the wall and her legs locked behind his ass.

Carrie didn‘t want to think, didn’t want consciousness to overlay her need to _feel_ again, she needed Quinn and _this_ to feel alive for just a few precious moments.

His hands were firmly holding her buttocks when he lifted her up a little further, just enough for her to reach down and push her briefs to the side and to direct him to her entrance.

He lowered his head and kissed the curve between her neck and her shoulder when he lowered her down, slowly pushing into her, saying her name in an almost whisper.

Being with him was an incredible feeling, the best she‘d had in weeks, months probably. She felt Quinn filling her, progressing slowly and controlled, firmly holding her buttocks, welcome pressure and loss of control, her back against the wall, rough and cold, whereas she felt his warmth seeping through her thin dress.

And then he let go of one hip, started pumping into her her, short and fast, a large hand coming up and kneading her breast, a thumb slipping under the neckline and under the lace of her bra, rubbing her nipple, Quinn’s breath hot on her skin, and she knew it‘d be fast and good.

„Faster Quinn, please, yes, fast and harder, like this, yes.“

She turned her head to seek his mouth for a messy kiss, one hand roaming over his back, down to his ass, kneading his firm buttock, enjoying his strength when he seemingly effortlessly fucked her against the wall with short and hard thrusts, his ragged breathing telling her how close he was.

„Come with me,“ he breathed when he broke the kiss and lowered his hand between her legs, finding and rubbing her clit with firm circles, sending her into a spiral of escalating pleasures.

It was feeling Carrie coming which took him there too, making him lose his mind and his vision fading into a world of gray for a few blissful moments, her whimpers telling him it was the same for her, each of his thrusts immediately answered by a shiver rippling through her body and Carrie squeezing around him.

Quinn drew it out, framing her between his body and the wall, his arm wrapped around her torso now allowing her to relax the grip of legs as she was completely held by him now.

Carrie’s face was buried against the curve of his neck, she felt Quinn‘s chest heaving as he inhaled deeply and placed a kiss on her temple before he lifted her to pull himself out.

He kept holding her as he pivoted around, away from the wall, and lowered her just then, his arm still around her as he gently lowered her to stand again – his grip tensioning right away when she swayed.

„Whoa, careful,“ Carrie thought she heard amusement in his voice and found herself lifted up again before she could adjust her posture.

Quinn stepped out of his pants, considering for a horrifying second what might happen if his feet would get tangled while he was trying to maneuver both of them to the bedroom, and covered the distance with a few long strides.

 

Unable to fully process the events of the last minutes Quinn decided to take it step by step, to take a no nonsense approach and then he‘d see what would happen next.

So he lowered his sweet burden onto the corner of the bed, somewhat reluctantly, secretly inhaling the scent of her hair one last time, and then turned around to fish for a pair of boxers to cover himself up again and to allow Carrie to rearrange her clothes.

When he turned back around again, as decent as briefs and a half buttoned and crumbled shirt would allow, Carrie still sat where he‘d placed her, tears trickling down her cheeks.

At least she‘d lowered her dress again, but her vulnerable appearance still broke his heart.

„What’s that? Was it that horrible?,“ he tried a light approach, sitting next to her and taking her hand in his, not knowing where they stood now.

But whatever it was, he wouldn’t let her alone like this.

„No,“ she tried a smile which turned into a sob, „no. That was –,“ she squeezed his hand back and leant against his upper arm, lost for words.

„I‘m kidding,“ Quinn saved her, relieved she wasn’t shutting him out but talking with him, weak jokes and all, „but what do we do with you know, uhm? Sleep? Eat? Talk?“

„A shame we didn’t bring the lasagna,“ Carrie quipped, unsuccessfully trying to stop the tears from streaming down her cheeks with the back of her hand.

Huffing a laugh, Quinn wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled closer, her head fitted under his chin now.

„Hungry?“

„No. Exhausted. Sad. It hurts. So much.“

„I know,“ he stated quietly, holding her when the pain crushed her and made her sob desperately, her hands clenched into his shirt.

Quinn knew there wasn’t much he could do. There was no solace. There simply wasn’t. A little further down the road she‘d be grateful about the time she’d had with her Dad, fond memories providing comfort, but right now it was raw and soul crushing grief and despair from the depth of her soul. Witnessing it broke his heart and made him more helpless than he’d ever felt before - and yet he was glad that he could be with Carrie, hoping his presence would make her feel less alone, knowing that she‘d feel more lonely than ever before in her life nevertheless.

At some point he had pins and needles in arms, and when he moved back a little Carrie just leant against him and followed his movement, so he carefully sank back onto the mattress, holding her to lie next to him, her face buried in his shirt.

As he‘d expected, this was how she fell asleep after she‘d cried until no more tears were left and she was completely spent, the emotional turmoil of the last days taking their toll.

She winced twice while falling asleep, and both times his arm instinctively tightened around her, as if he wanted to shield her from any harm just with the sheer force of will and his own body - not that any of this would be a remedy for what she went through.

It was almost two a.m. when he finally sat up – Carrie was deep asleep – pulled the comforter up and around Carrie’s shoulders and lay back against the pillow then, knowing that despite his exhaustion sleep wouldn’t come.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At Quinn’s apartment in the middle of the night after the funeral - they talk. And more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Sydney. Thinking of you. All will be good.

Carrie woke up when she felt the mattress moving and for a brief moment she had no idea where she was. She turned to her side, her leg touched bare skin and she heard or maybe felt the owner of that other leg inhaling slowly and then holding his breath for a brief moment before he exhaled.

 _Quinn_.

It was still dim in the room, the next morning still not there. But when her eyes got used to the darkness she could see Quinn’s profile in the dark.

„Hey,“ she whispered, her shin still resting against his calf.

He hadn’t slept yet, but had spent a few hours in a dim state between sleep and wakefulness, images of the last few days whirling around in his mind. That - and Carrie.

The very Carrie who now reached out and placed her hand on his own, resting on his abdomen.

„Did I disturb you?“

„No, no, you didn’t wake me up. Why don’t you sleep?“

„Too much going on,“ which was a short but honest answer, „I haven’t slept well in ages.“

„I can relate to that myself,“ her hand still covering his, „So, thanks for allowing me to crash here for a few hours,“ she paused for a long moment, her words and their inappropriateness sinking in between them, „Oh fuck, I‘m – I‘m sorry Quinn.“

„No,“ he interrupted her, „Don‘t be sorry, I shouldn’t have said… look Carrie, _this_ is exactly what I didn’t want, it–” his voice trailed off when Carrie squeezed his hand.

„Quinn,“ she said in an almost whisper, „I suck at this. And you should run for the hills. But you didn’t -- and that means a lot to me. Is that enough?“

„No, it’s not _enough_. But it’s okay. I get that–,“ but again Carrie interrupted him.

„Quinn. As I said, I am in no position to make promises. But I _heard_ you. And coming here wasn’t just a desperate escape. I _wanted_ to be here, with you. And I know we should talk.“

„What if I don’t need to talk?“

„No?“ Carrie asked with a confused tone in her voice for which he couldn’t blame her.

„I told you what I‘d like.“

„Quinn,“ her voice was soft and she didn’t pull her hand away, „I know. It’s just that I don’t feel like I can give you an reliable answer. I need time. Maybe I should leave.“

She was making an attempt to rise, but he held her back.

„No. Stay. If you want.“

When Carrie sank back onto the pillow his hand reached out for hers.

„Last night, Quinn, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t _want_ to be here. With you. It’s that _getting out_ -part that scares me. I don’t feel like I can make decisions this big and life-altering right now.“

„I know. I shouldn’t have said that.“

„No, you should. You were being honest.“

„Maybe.“

Carrie thought back to a few hours before, how she’d fallen asleep next to Quinn. And to the moment she‘d seen him outside of the church. The relief she’d felt nearly crushing her, after she’d been convinced she might never see him again. And how that fear had added to the grief for her father. And then, last night.

And here they were, talking in the dark, and it would probably never be easy.

But it was this, or getting up and leaving.

Quinn’s heartbeat elevated as she slowly stretched her fingers beneath his palm, searching for the edges of the button tab of his crumpled shirt, pushing the tails a little further open, finding smooth skin over firm muscles.

His grip tightened around her fingers but he didn’t push her away, her touch sparking the longing he’d given into last night. 

„Carrie,“ there was a strain in his whisper which made her hesitate, „Don’t use that against me. Don‘t do that.“

„I won’t,“ and she meant it, „There’s not much I can promise you, but that I can.“

He was still holding her hand but loosened his grip enough for her to continue her journey, soft fingers trailing around his navel, her touch elusive and yet so real.

His resolution had been thin to begin with, and her proximity and the memory of the what had happened a few hours before – he felt raw and unable to keep his guard up. Maybe a part of him didn’t even _want_ to keep it up.

„Two conditions.“

„Quinn,“ she quipped, „This is the part where you sigh and push my hand further down again, not the part where you ask for conditions.“

But then she stretched and placed her lips on his mouth for a precious second, allowing him to wind his arm around her shoulder and to pull her in for a lingering kiss, just their lips, and he knew he was lost. 

She broke the kiss but moved back just the slightest bit.

„What’s your condition?“

„Honesty,” he breathed, „Never lie to me about this. And that we talk. Not now,” that made her smile against his lips, „but soon.“

Carrie didn’t answer but pressed her hand on his abdomen and slid it over his skin, tantalizingly slow, while her mouth was so close that he could feel her breath against his lips.

It felt _right_ , Carrie thought, knowing that he‘d be in her life not only this night but tomorrow and the day after. Losing him in Islamabad had been tearing her in pieces. Getting him back on this very day had been a gift.

„I have one condition as well,“ her whisper was barely audible.

„Yeah?“

_Anything Carrie._

„Tell me when it’s unbearable. I‘ll understand. But don’t just walk away.“

_Honesty. That goes both ways._

His hand weaved into her hair, caressing the nape of her neck, making her close the distance to finally kiss again.

It was different this time. They took time to explore their bodies, endless kisses, hands roaming beneath clothes and over warm skin, fiddling with the fastening of her dress until that was finally gone and she lay on top of him in just her underwear.

His hand smoothed over her back, unhooked her bra and then he turned them both so that he came to lie on top of her and Carrie was framed between his elbows when he slowly lowered the first strap of her bra and then the second. It was still too dark to really see her but knowing he was allowed to do this, while her breathing hitched when he smoothed the cups away and gently closed his hand around her left breast, and that she arched her back to meet his touch – it was more than he had thought would ever be possible.

“I’ve been dreaming of this.” His voice is thick with desire or emotion. It was difficult to tell which because she couldn’t see his face, and then she didn’t care anymore because Quinn lowered his head and closed his lips around her nipple, a gentle sucking, a flickering tongue, his hand closing around her other breast, testing her reaction when he kneaded it, his thumb rubbing over her nipple.

She felt him hard against her hip, and she was longing to feel him closer, but what he was doing with her was honest-to-God already almost _too_ good.

Swirling his tongue around her nipple, pleased by the sounds that elicited from her, he carefully increased the intensity, testing to see what reactions he‘d get from her, enjoying her hands roaming over his back, squeezing his ass and tugging his hair.

He broke contact and blew against her wet skin, feeling Carrie’s body tensing against him while her whimper blew his mind. So he did it again, and this time she was anticipating the quick change of temperature when he let go of her and arched her back, and the sounds she made would be his undoing sooner rather than later.

„God, Carrie,“ he whispered, burrowing his face in the curve of her neck.

 _Reverence_. That was what colored the timbre of his voice, and Carrie wondered if she ever could live up to that.

Beneath her skin, her blood was beating, making every little part of her flush and gasp. She was alive, so alive, especially when she felt his mouth trailing down her skin again, leaving a trail of kisses, playing with her nipple again, making her jolt from pleasure, and his cock — hard and insistent — pressing against her crotch.

She pushed his boxers down to let her fingers run over his gorgeous ass, reveling in his moans when she let her fingertips run deeper, and then a little deeper, while he kept fondling her, with his mouth and his hands.

For a moment, Carrie was afraid. Afraid of the intimacy and of the realness and rawness of being with him.

But just then he came up on his elbows and looked down at her, silently recognizing her thoughts before he bent his head and kissed her mouth, gently deepening their kiss, bringing tongues together, swirling them and mixing together until one could not tell themselves from the other and they lost themselves in that kiss.

 

They parted, and with a barely visible half smile, Quinn pushed himself up on his long arms to gaze down at her.

„Don’t you ever think you’re not enough. Or that this is not enough.”

And with that, he kissed her again, heat and urgency taking over now and making her wanting him closer, as if _feeling_ him could tether and anchor her.

_And maybe it can. Maybe he can do that._

Feeling his hand slip under the edge of her panties made her desire him with an intensity which almost scared her.

„Jesus Carrie,“ he sighed when he slipped a finger into her and found her wet and waiting, his mind and brain dazed and almost delirious with want.

 

He added a second finger when she spread her legs further as if to invite him to have her, and feeling him pushing into her – body, mind and soul – made her gasp from the intensity of her emotions.

Her face was buried against his chest, kissing and sucking a sensitive spot of skin, and her hands were helplessly fisting the sheets, trying to find a place to hold onto as each stroke brought her further and further.

Adding slow circles with his thumb, he knew she’d be there soon, and being able to see her, hold her and guide her through this gave him a shiver down his spine and shifted something deep inside him. 

Carrie was falling, Quinn’s body the only barrier keeping her from falling apart, a sweet and inevitable wave crushing and ripping consciousness away from her.

Quinn cradled her in his arm, holding her through all of it, prolonging it with softer strokes now, making her shiver in his arm.

Hearing Carrie whimper his name, begging him not to stop, incoherent sounds and breathless whimpers, opening up for him - good God, he‘d be gone in seconds.

And as if she was reading his every thought she disentangled and raised to her knees, the first morning light filtering through the window casting long shadows in the room when she straddled his hips, bent forward to kiss him languorously, allowing him to make contact and feel her, and then slowly straightened again to slowly lower herself down on him with a twist of her hips which made him lose his breath.

„Your turn now,“ she smiled, and Quinn knew he was lost, not only now but forever, never being able to forget _this_ ever again. He wondered if he’d ever be able to keep up with her intensity, her change of moods, and if he could live up to what he wanted to be _for_ her and _with_ her – and then he stopped thinking at all, just like that, a hard cut, all thoughts silenced, and it was just about Carrie‘s slow rise and fall, almost too slow, much more controlled than he‘d be able to govern himself now, as she was drawing it out for him.

She wound her hair around one hand and lifted it in an loose updo, allowing him to marvel at the sight of her, the morning sun finally allowing him to drink her in and to watch her while she was slowly fucking him.

There was a vulnerability in his expression which made Carrie feel the same warmth and need growing in her chest which she had felt when she had stood on top of his bomb, playing his deepest hidden secret against him. And in a fateful reversal this felt like a second chance, that he was still here with her and that she hadn’t lost him.

Her eyes were locked with his and he let her set the pace, giving in to his own longing, enjoying the slow buildup, until he couldn’t hold back anymore, the coiled up knot at the base of his spine urging for release.

His hands were placed on her hips, following her every movement, but now his grip tightened and he started to govern her speed, moving her faster and pushing deeper and down to the hilt with each stroke, his hips surging in countermotion to her body riding him while he was reveling in watching her body pleasing him.

He‘d never forget her smile when she let her hair cascade down her shoulders again and bent slightly forward to brace herself on his chest, the sudden change of their movements pushing him into careening nowhere and making him lose himself with her. He lived for seconds in that soaring agonizing perfection, time drew out to endless seconds and shriveled to a bittersweet moment of fruition, his body spasming and heaving, her hips still in his hands, her mouth on his now, his last few thrusts taking her with him once more, and for a beautiful moment their sensations were obliterating everything else, there was no past and no future, just the two of them here and now, Carrie gasping his name while he was seeing stars.

Carrie collapsed on top of him, her body still trembling when he gathered her in his arms and buried his face in the curve of her neck. 

She felt the sheen of sweat on his skin and his chest heaving as he held her, and she felt his hands slowly stroking her back, starting at her shoulders and then all the way to her ass.

After a while he slipped out of her but didn’t move her away, and neither did he stop caressing her, enjoying the feeling of her molding into him.

„You broke my brain,“ were the only words he could muster after long minutes, as he slowly rolled her to his side. Carrie huffed a laugh but didn’t answer.

They drifted off just like this, Carrie curled into his side, their bodies sweaty and sticky from their love making, legs entangled and hands intertwined, and Quinn finally found sleep as well for a few much needed hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you dear inchy for speed-editing!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you SNQA and Inchy for helping me and for being there during a difficult time!
> 
> And thanks to all of you who are still here!


End file.
